Christ In Me

The environment of "Modeling" might be the most challenging for me.  The catchphrase "I see Christ in others and they can see Christ in me" says it all.  As a dad, the most important thing I can do is model Christ so that my children see how important my relationship is with Him.  That is hard to do; mostly because I can't do it on my own.  It's Christ in me.


I was reminded of this in my reading today.  In 2 Kings 2, Elijah is preparing Elisha to take his mantle and become God's voice to the Jews.  Just before God comes to whisk Elijah away in a chariot of fire he asks Elisha, "What can I do for you?"  Elisha's response was, "I want to be twice the man of God that you are!"  (my paraphrase).  This surprised Elijah.  He immediately knew that this was a request that only God could fulfill.  In the end, Elisha got his request.


I pray my children want what Elisha wanted; to be twice the man of God that their dad is.  That is something I can't give them but it is something I can encourage them to strive for.  If I put them in the path of the Divine, their encounters with God will give them a desire for more.


I trust they see Christ in me.  My greatest thrill is to see Christ in them!


Click on the HomeFront Monthly link below for resources to be a Modeling family.
Check out the HomeFront Weekly editions for a look ahead at next Sunday's Big God Story.


HomeFront Monthly for November 2011
Kids Safari HomeFront Weekly
Kids Summit HomeFront Weekly

I'm Still Here!

OK.  I've been away for a couple of weeks.  My apologies.  Especially to you who depend on this blog to receive your HomeFront editions.  No more delay.


So, here you go...


Kids Safari (Preschool/Kindergarten) HomeFront Weekly


Kids Summit (Elementary) HomeFront Weekly

While I'm here, I would like to say a big "THANKS" to the LSCC family.  We had one of our yearly family events last night (Pumpkin Palooza) and over 100 LSCC volunteers showed up to help.  It was serving in its purist form.  Students, parents, grandparents, single moms, men, even Santa pitched in.  It was great.  The kids had a blast playing games, jumping on inflatables, eating candy and hot dogs and laughing hysterically at each other's costumes.  I realized in a fresh way how blessed I am to be a part of LSCC.  I hope you are able to say the same thing.




SEE YOU SUNDAY!

New Beginnings

We're in the environment of "Course Correction" this month.  While it's not technically a "course correction" my family has had a major change at home.  Last Friday we welcomed a new member to our family.  My wife gave birth to our fourth daughter.  


The birth of our fourth child brings many new things into our lives (lack of sleep being #1).  But one thing was reinforced loud and clear.  Something that we knew all along, but often forget in our day-to-day happenings.  GOD IS GOD!  I've had many experiences in my life when God did something that was definitely orchestrated by Him.  But never before have I experienced a greater GOD moment than when my children were born.


This reminded me how important it is for me as a husband and father to help my family see that God is God and there is none other like Him.  Kids Adventure has been reading through the story of the Exodus.  Over and over God showed Pharaoh, Egypt, and the Israelites His might power.  He proved He is God.  Unfortunately, Pharaoh ignored God's messages and caused Egypt massive pain.  I don't want to be another Pharaoh, dismissing the greatness of God at my family's expense.


I want to make every second count - every situation used to build up my family's faith in the God who is God.


For more, check out this week's HomeFront:
Kids Safari (Preschool/Kindergarten) HomeFront Weekly
Kids Summit (Elementary) HomeFront Weekly

NATURAL CONSEQUENCES

Consequences don't have to be negative but we usually think of them as so.  We deal with consequences every day.  What we eat, words we say...or don't say - everything we do has consequences.


If you've read through this month's HomeFront Monthly, you might have noticed the section titled "Natural Consequences."  The section begins with this statement:

Sometimes in course correction, pain is obvious.  It's the natural consequence.

While I find no joy in ushering pain into my child's life, my natural instinct as a father is to insist that my idea of pain will correct my child's course.  Unfortunately, this isn't true!  Most of the time, the pain I usher into my child's life does only one thing:  build resentment.  Don't read between the lines here.  There's no hidden agenda.  I'm not talking about spanking verses time out or any other methods of discipline.


When I correct my child in MY wisdom I am teaching my her that she needs to live by MY rules.  While I admit most of my rules are anchored in good intentions, my child wasn't created to live by MY rules. She was created to live a life of dependence on God and HIS rules.


No one knows my child better than God.  He created her for His special purpose.  That said, He knows what pain she needs to encounter to correct her course.  It's my job, as a spiritual parent, to let her faith be tried, walk with her through the pain (building up in love) and help her see the corrected path that will bring healing.


Hebrews 12:11-13 says it this way:

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

There's a natural progression God has established to lead my child through course correction.  I need to give God room to let this happen.  That takes a great deal of faith on my part.  


So, embark on this journey with me.  Evaluate WHO leads in correcting your child's course:  God or you?  Let's make our own course corrections allowing God to use us to bring healing and a corrected course into our child's life.


For more information on the environment of Course Correction click on the HomeFront Monthly link from last week's post.


Use HomeFront Weekly to walk through Biblical examples of course correction.  Here they are:


Kids Safari (Preschool/Kindergarten) HomeFront Weekly
Kids Summit (Elementary) HomeFront Weekly